In these modern times, it can be a bit difficult to lead a frugal life because there are so many different products and services that are offered everywhere around us. It is normal to want so many different things. Making saving money very difficult. But, with enough dedication, it is always possible. Especially, if you decide to use coupons or vouchers when shopping. But, are these little pieces of paper or these codes really worth your time? Are they really going to save you enough money?
Well, that depends on quite a few different things. There are several factors that need to be considered. Things such as where you are shopping, where you are getting your vouchers, and what kind of products you will be buying. Keep in mind, your experience may vary based on these factors. Sometimes you may save 10% or more from a product and sometimes you will end up saving a few cents.
Whether this is worth it or not, I cannot give you the answer to this question. It all depends on you. If you believe that this is worth your time, go ahead and start looking for vouchers that you can use. If you have babies, you might have essential items like diapers that you know the coupons or vouchers can save you tons of money over time.
Although, I will be able to help you get that answer to the question by providing you with some pros and cons of using coupons for shopping.
Page Contents
Pros
Source: invespcro.com
Obviously, there are certain advantages to using vouchers, especially if you are able to save some money with them.
You can get items for free
People do not exactly go out of their way to find a voucher when shopping. Sure, if the store offers one, people will take it. But, they will not dedicate their own time just to find one. And that is completely understandable.
However, did you know that there are certain vouchers that allow you to purchase a product for no price at all? Yes, believe it or not, it is true. Certain companies or stores are willing to offer coupons that can get you a free product. Why do they do that? Well, it is mostly marketing. It is a marketing strategy that benefits both the customer and the company. It is in no way different than a simple giveaway.
It can halve the costs of certain products
Vouchers will not always be so generous. In fact, finding the coupon that will provide you with a free item is quite rare, but it does happen. What happens more frequently is vouchers that allow you to purchase certain products for half of the original cost. Sometimes even a fraction of that cost.
These vouchers can be found for almost any type of product. Whether it is food or other simple groceries or sometimes even electronics. Yes, you read that right. With the right voucher, you could even find an iPhone for half of its cost. You will be effectively saving hundreds of dollars with it. Although, I would not recommend expecting such a discount for electronics that often. You will need to be very lucky to find one.
You can get extra items
Source: bizj.us
Most of us go shopping for groceries of these once or twice a week. Less if you prefer to stockpile groceries for a lot longer. Basic food products and other groceries are not exactly expensive, but when you sum up all the times you went into the store for groceries, it can be a lot of money. Fortunately, with the right coupon, you might get a few items extra.
By buying a certain product, the coupon declared that you are able to get an extra of that same product. Or maybe some other product that comes combined but the one you bought. I do not have to get too deep into it.
You can easily find coupons online
In the past, I think there were more disadvantages to using coupons than there were advantages. Mostly because you would have to go from store to store and you would have to subscribe to different newsletters that usually cost money to get them. But, today it is a different story. Most of the time, you can easily find vouchers online. There are so many websites out there that provide hundreds of them. You just have to look in the right places. If you want to know how all of this works, you can learn more here.
Cons
Source: moneycrashers.com
As with everything, there are also a few disadvantages that will need to be considered.
Worthless coupons
It is no secret that there are certain vouchers start there that are simply worth nothing and are just wasting your time. For example, if you find a 10% discount coupon on milk or some other cheaper product, it really is useless. By getting a 10% discount on one dollar, you are effectively saving ten cents. If it is less than a dollar, you are saving even less than ten cents. I know, some might make the argument that you could accumulate those small amounts of money together, but even 100 coupons will save you just $10. Is that worth the hassle?
Although, you can always pick which coupon you want to use. You can easily discard or give away the ones that are not worth your time.
Not all coupons will work
There is one huge disadvantage of this entire voucher system and that is the fact that some of them simply do not work. You get in the store, get the products that you need, and go to the cashiers. You give them your coupon only to find out that it simply does not work because of several possible reasons. Those reasons do not matter, what matters is that it does not work. You just wasted your own time, the cashier’s time and you spend a lot more money than you expected.
To me, that is one of the more major cons.
As you can see, there are a lot more advantages/pros of using vouchers for shopping than disadvantages/cons. Learn how to properly use them and you might save yourself hundreds of dollars every year.
